Chapter 50
At around 1:30, customers who had finished their meal began to come downstairs one after another.
Some players have stayed in the hot springs for quite a long time and have developed a fixed schedule. They usually live in tents nearby to save as much as possible on daily necessities, leaving money for three meals a day at the hot springs. They spend the rest of their time leveling up by killing monsters nearby and occasionally taking a foot bath. Every few days, they can save money to take a comfortable hot spring bath. Although their lives are not as good as those of elite players, they are much better than before.
There are also some players who just came here on the Arctic Fox bus today. I failed to get a room, and I wasn't lucky enough like Xu Ruixi and others to have friends living here, and my status was not high enough, so I could only take the afternoon bus back to town after lunch.
Most of these people were wandering around the city gate and were attracted by the Arctic Fox bus and its passengers, so they came here on a whim.
When they came, they were just there to watch the fun, but before they left, they were truly reluctant to leave.
They consoled each other: "The tickets are so cheap anyway, we can just come back later."
Another person said angrily: "Why didn't anyone tell me earlier that there was such a great hot spring here? I heard that many people who came early have already grabbed rooms for a week." He beat his chest and stamped his feet, regretting not taking advantage of it earlier.
Once the promotion starts, I'm afraid you'll have to fight for tickets!
"No, I have to work hard to save money and come more often before more people know about it."
A few of them were chatting as they walked downstairs, preparing to pack some snacks to take back before the bus left. However, as soon as they walked down the stairs, they were attracted by an inexplicable noise.
The rustling sound was mixed with regular clicking sounds.
Several people were confused for a moment: "There are still rats in the hotel?"
"Are you stupid? Where did the rats come from in the Doomsday Game?"
"Could it be that a rat monster broke in..."
Rat monsters are generally small in size and low in level, so they are nothing to be afraid of under normal circumstances, but it sounds like there is more than one rat monster. Thinking of the social nature of rat monsters, they became nervous.
What about the employees who stayed in the lobby?
There was such a loud noise but you didn't come out to check. Could something unexpected have happened?
Depend on!
This monster is too arrogant to break into human settlements!
Thinking that there might be some rat monster gnawing at their boss, they suddenly became angry. He suppressed his breath and took a few steps forward following the sound. After turning the corner of the last staircase, the view suddenly became clear. The people wielding weapons did not see the monsters gathering as they had imagined. Instead, they saw several figures sitting in a circle on the benches in the hall.
A man held a handful of something in his hand, picked up one and threw it into his mouth. After biting it open with his teeth, he skillfully separated the flesh with his tongue. The peeled skin gradually piled up into a small hill in the trash tray in front of him.
That scene was so familiar and intimate.
The only difference was that, perhaps because melon seeds were too precious in this doomsday world, everyone was so focused on eating them that after such a long time, no one brought up a topic.
This is what led to such a misleading situation.
At this moment, the sound of clicking filled the entire hall, and the lingering sound could last for three days.
Several players who were worried just now: "..."
It was too early for them to worry.
A player wearing a wizard robe was intoxicated and hesitantly asked, "What are you doing?"
Seeing them kowtowing so harmoniously, I couldn't bear to disturb them.
"Oops, sorry, I didn't see you guys coming down."
Suddenly, a head popped up from the crowd.
When Gu Xiao saw the customer, he quickly put down the melon seeds and wiped them on his clothes as he stood up. "Do you want to buy anything?"
She stood up, and there was a gap in the crowd. Everyone could see the scene inside and were stunned.
——These hotel employees actually gathered together to eat melon seeds during their lunch break!
In order to make it easier to eat melon seeds, Shu Mo even spent a lot of money to buy a small table and pushed it in the middle of the bench. He poured a whole bag of melon seeds in the middle, piling them up like a small mountain, and then placed garbage trays on all four sides. Then he asked the employees to sit in a circle and started eating melon seeds.
Several people's eyes turned red and they wanted to slam the table in anger.
In broad daylight, in a clear and bright world! They actually gathered together to do such a thing!
Where is the morality? What’s the bottom line? Where is the dignity? Where do you buy melon seeds?
They want to eat too! !
At this time, a few more people came up curiously, took a closer look at the situation, and then joined the army of people suffering from conjunctivitis.
Among them was an old customer who had followed Shu Mo all the way to the hot spring since he set up his stall, and at this moment he smelled a familiar scent.
It seemed as if they suddenly recalled the time at the market when the boss brought a group of people to eat candied haws and they could only watch.
Look at the working conditions.
What a treatment! This benefit!
One person said sourly, "Boss, when are you going to recruit again?"
"If I don't work in a hot spring at least once in my life, I feel my life will be incomplete."
"Boss! The hot spring business is so prosperous, it wouldn't be too much to hire another fifty employees, right?"
"I second that!"
Several people wailed.
If Wenquan recruits again, they must not miss it. Missing this offer is like missing out on 100 million yuan, and there will be countless things they will regret in the future.
Someone else had an idea, "Boss, hire me. I can do 996, no, 007."
Shu Mo: “?”
She finally patted the melon seed shells on her hands, stood up, and motioned for him to look at the wall behind the counter. "Did you see it? The latest regulations of this hot spring prohibit involution."
customer:"……"
He looked at the wall and saw these four big words, right below the words "No secondary transactions of hot spring products allowed". It seemed like this was a serious rule.
"When was it released?" Why hadn't he noticed it before?
"Just added." Shu Mo said.
Gu Xiao burst out laughing.
The mage player who made the suggestion scratched his head and glanced at the employees sitting there.
The older aunt had a small pile of melon seeds next to her, probably peeled for someone else. As she was peeling them, she instructed the handsome young man, "Put the edge between your teeth and bite gently, and it will split along the seam. Then take out the melon seeds inside and eat them..."
Mo Bai's expression was grim. Compared with the other people, the trash tray in front of him was empty, with only a few scattered crumbs that could not be identified. It seemed that he had not cracked out a complete melon seed kernel yet.
But he didn't give up trying.
Liu Yan was also very patient and guided him slowly. At the same time, I was thinking to myself that young people who usually seem cold and distant are actually not that difficult to get along with.
The mage player's eyes swept over everyone's faces. Not to mention Shu Mo and Gu Xiao, even the serious Yao Yonghui who was cracking melon seeds silently in the car seemed to have an extra layer of friendly aura.
The employees sat together during lunch break, and everyone looked relaxed and at ease, creating a happy scene.
If he had said before that he wanted to apply for the job, there was some element of joking in his words, but now he was really a little envious of this working atmosphere.
He fell silent, his mind full of how to work in the hot spring, while the others' attention was drawn to the melon seeds.
"Boss, are you selling this melon seed hot spring?"
"Give us some, too."
"Isn't it that the jasmine tea just came out upstairs? We can drink tea, crack melon seeds and chat. If we also have a deck of playing cards... Hey, I can't even imagine how happy I'll be."
They looked at their boss expectantly.
——The omnipotent boss!
Shu Mo lived up to everyone's expectations and nodded, "It's for sale, over here."
As she spoke, she gave Mo Bai a signaling look, and the little black dragon obediently stood up and followed. Seeing this, a few white fluffy cats who had been staring at him for a long time secretly moved to the table and surrounded the small pile of melon seeds he had left.
Now the hot spring employees have their own division of labor, and the only one who has some free time is Mo Bai after his promotion.
Shu Mo then gave him the responsibility of the hotel's latest "key development direction", the specialty counter.
Upon hearing the word "focus", Mo Bai instantly straightened his back, his eyes sharp, and his whole body was tinged with a sense of obligation. He quickly agreed to the newly assigned work - Shu Mo estimated that this symptom would continue for some time.
I don’t know whether it is a good thing or a bad thing.
"We have opened a new counter and have stocked some products suitable for gifts. If you need to bring souvenirs to your family and friends, you can come here and have a look."
Shu Mo introduced and took Mo Bai to the back of the counter. A group of players followed closely behind him. After discovering this newly built specialty counter, they exclaimed in amazement.
Compared to the original front desk, this counter is much larger, and when the lights are turned on, it looks extremely luxurious.
With the name of gift counter, it instantly gives people a high-end and classy impression.
Everyone approached slowly with awe in their hearts. The next second, they took a closer look and found that inside the counter, which was decorated with high-end lighting and elegant style, there were actually bags of melon seeds neatly arranged.
Glancing to the left, there is a row of braised chicken feet in the adjacent display cabinet.
Players: “???”
You are worthy of it.
But if you think about it carefully...it seems not bad!
It is plain and down-to-earth, but it fully meets the needs of the general public and is perfectly suitable as a gift.
For example, if there are elderly people at home who have difficulty walking and cannot go out of the city, their daily routine is to sit with their neighbors in the sun to pass the time. How pleasant it would be if they could have a handful of melon seeds at this time.
For example, combat players usually have nothing to do in the wild after nightfall. It’s too early, and I want to sleep but can’t. Some people have to stay up all night - if I could gnaw on some chicken feet or duck necks at this time, wouldn’t time pass quickly?
There are also some players who are not well-off, but they grit their teeth and take out their savings that they have accumulated for a long time before they dare to come and enjoy the hot springs. Before this, the existence of souvenirs was almost non-existent to them. Without the environment and atmosphere of the hot springs, they were a little reluctant to spend the money.
For example, a meat bun at 15 o'clock is delicious, but you can finish it in just a few bites, and you have to spend half a day's income. It's painful to think about it. It’s better to save the money and find another opportunity to spend it in the hot spring.
But now the hotel has introduced dry goods such as melon seeds and nuts, which can be stored for a long time, are not affected by temperature, and will not affect the taste over time. After a day's work, reward yourself with a few almonds and cashews, and the day will become more promising.
That full can will last you a long time. If you calculate it this way, it’s much more cost-effective than the fresh meat buns.
They immediately became eager to try it and walked forward to choose their favorite flavors.
Their eyes swept along the dry goods area, and they discovered the cold dish area and braised goods area next to it. They immediately thought of the same thing as Shu Mo: these can be used to go with canned food.
If your regular staple food is still canned food, you can use these slightly more expensive foods as side dishes, and one serving can last for several days. In this case, it seems that I can afford it?
So I added a few more items to my shopping cart.
[Sunflower seeds (five-spice flavor)]*2, [Salt-baked cashews]*1, [Chicken feet (pickled pepper flavor)]*1, [Duck neck (spicy flavor)]*1, [Boneless chicken feet (sour and spicy lemon flavor)]*1...
They picked and chose along the counter, thinking everything they saw was a good deal. When it was time to check out, these ordinary players who had originally intended to save money were stunned to find out: How come they had bought almost everything?
"Hello, the total is 305 points." The cashier's voice sounded indifferently.
The player came back to his senses after being reminded, and looked at the long list of products in front of him with his mouth slightly open, feeling as if he had been possessed by another spirit.
But I chose more than ten items, and the total cost was only 300 points, which seems... not bad?
If he eats sparingly, these things will be enough for him to eat for more than a month, and the variety is very rich.
Is it worthwhile to spend 300 points to get a month of good mood?
Of course it’s a good deal!
He quickly convinced himself to put aside the thought of "just looking around" and paid the bill in a casual manner.
There's even a feeling of getting a bargain.
Following Shu Mo's instructions, Mo Bai took out the items in the glass cabinet one by one according to the shopping list selected by the player, put them in a paper bag printed with the Nuan Nuan Hot Spring logo, and handed it to the other party.
The man took the full bag, left the counter facing the envious eyes of the people in the queue, and felt quite satisfied.
Although he could put it directly into his backpack, he had the urge to carry it all the way back. The sense of fulfillment that comes from holding this heavy thing in my hand is quite nostalgic.
It feels like going to the supermarket to stock up before the Chinese New Year.
Even the things I bought were so appropriate.
There are many people who share the same idea as him. Perhaps these nuts and dried goods aroused the players' desire to stock up hidden deep in their hearts, or perhaps they reminded them of the past when they used to spend a whole year's salary to go shopping and then carry the goods home to celebrate the New Year. Shu Mo always felt that the guests who came later seemed to have released some seal and spent money without hesitation.
Shu Mo defines melon seeds and braised dishes as affordable products in the specialty area. The prices are generally low, with nuts costing 30 yuan a can, melon seeds costing 20 yuan a bag, and cold dishes costing 15-20 yuan a box. But even so, the total price of more than a dozen items added together is quite considerable.
Seeing that Mo Bai was too busy to handle it alone, Shu Mo rolled up his sleeves and joined in. He was responsible for the cashier himself and asked Mo Bai to pack up the items selected by the customers in advance to save time.
The two of them were busy together but still confused.
Five minutes before two o'clock, Yao Yonghui came in from outside and shouted in the hall.
"The bus will leave in five minutes. Please be prepared in advance and don't miss the bus."
There was a small commotion among the people in the queue.
"Why is it already this late? There are still several people ahead of me."
"Don't pick the ones in the front, why not just have one of each? We're in a hurry for the ones in the back!"
"Let me finish first. I've already chosen two bags of melon seeds. It will be quick..."
"Excuse me, bro. I'm in a hurry to get on the bus. Can you let me cut in line?"
The people in the queue behind him were so anxious that they jumped up and down, talking all at once, which made the person standing in front of the counter nervous. He simply stopped hesitating and pointed at the counter with his eyes closed, "Please take one of each, thank you."
The people who came later followed suit, "One of each, and two spicy duck necks!"
They also discovered that the specialties sold in the hotel are all the most common and popular types and flavors, and you won't go wrong even if you buy them with your eyes closed. I picked and chose a lot at first, and ended up buying most of them. So why waste that time?
Just go all in!
The efficiency of selecting goods has been improved. In addition, some guests who were not in a hurry kindly gave up their seats to these people and moved to the back of the line, allowing them to pay before the bus departed.
But it still took a few minutes as everyone hurriedly sat in the car with their bags.
Looking through the glass front door of the hall, Shu Mo saw the Arctic Fox bus driving away and heaved a sigh of relief.
She also didn't expect that the specialty would sell so well!
Even many guests who were still in the restaurant rushed to the lobby upon hearing the news and joined the shopping spree. There is a long queue in front of the specialty counter. As the previous customer leaves, the next one can't wait to come forward - if the healing scenes in the game were put into reality, it would be enough to make the clerk's scalp numb. He wishes the game could add a speed-up button that would play at triple speed with one press.
However, the harvest is naturally very gratifying.
The affordable products with affordable prices are the hottest sellers. In addition, Shu Mo also bought a batch of Chinese pastry gift boxes and canned fruit gift boxes, which are placed high on the counter at the back. The exquisite packaging will attract people's attention at first sight.
Speaking of packaging, Shu Mo originally planned to roll up his sleeves and do it himself. But she had no background in art and design, and was stumped at the first step of choosing colors. After much hesitation, she had even thought of spending a lot of money to find a player who was a designer before the game came out. Fortunately, she soon discovered that there were ready-made packaging bag templates in the mall.
Shu Mo then added a little money and selected suitable packaging designs for each different product, and made several paper bags of different sizes to be used as shopping bags.
In this way, when customers buy souvenirs and take them home to give to others, they just need to take out the bag and everyone will know that they are products from Nuannuan Hot Spring.
It turned out that Shu Mojia's design fees were useful. Many people noticed the gift box placed above the cabinet, but after asking the price, many gave up the idea of buying it.
【Chinese pastry gift box: 100 points/piece】
[Canned fruit gift box: 80 points/box]
Since we are launching a gift series, in addition to the affordable snacks that can be used to meet players' daily gift-giving needs when visiting relatives and friends, we will definitely need some high-end products to fill the void.
But after all, it is the end of the world, and there are not many players with enough money, so out of the 15 products, Shu Mo only chose these two to make high-end gift boxes.
Both the pricing and the exquisiteness of the packaging are significantly different from ordinary commodities.
A piece of pastry at 100 points is not outrageously expensive, but it is a rare luxury item in the game. No matter who you give it to, it is a gift full of sincerity.
Those players who just wanted to buy some souvenirs to take back gave up after asking the price. Shu Mo didn't care about it. High-end gift boxes are meant for special customers.
*
While the hot spring was bustling with activity, on the Arctic Fox bus on the other side, there was an eerie peace.
After the initial hustle and bustle of everyone getting on the bus and taking their seats, the conversations on the bus gradually died down.
Then came a series of neat, focused, and regular clicking sounds that came from every corner of the bus.
Yao Yonghui, who was sitting in the front of the car: "..."
Does this sound familiar?
Things have changed. Just half an hour ago, he was still using this voice to brainwash other players, but now, he is the one being tortured.
It’s just that I was in a hurry just now and forgot to ask boss T to take a bag with me.
There weren't many players on the bus, but a dozen people eating melon seeds together in the enclosed space was enough to create an effect of magical sound piercing the ears. Yao Yonghui clearly felt that the steps of the beast beneath him were becoming more and more violent.
But the bumpy road did not affect the leisurely mood of everyone eating melon seeds.
Chinese people, as long as they hold a handful of melon seeds, can instantly switch to the viewing mode, with a sense of indifference that the world is in turmoil and I am just an audience.
When Yao Yonghui turned around, he met the eyes of an old lady who was looking at him kindly while cracking melon seeds.
Every time the aunt said something, she would add a crisp "ka". "Young man, how old are you this year (ka)?"
"Have you found a partner?" Click.
Yao Yonghui: “…”
He shook his head and stood up before the old lady could ask more questions. "Everyone, when you eat in the car, please do not leave fruit peels and crumbs in the car. Thank you for your cooperation."
Responses were heard from all around, and Yao Yonghui sat down again, meeting the aunt's kind gaze once again.
The aunt took out a small bag from somewhere and placed it on the seat next to her. She poured the melon seed shells in her hand into it, and nodded in understanding, "We all understand. We will never be that uncultured person."
Then, the subject changed.
"Let's continue with the previous topic. If you don't have a partner, there is a single girl next door who is also on a blind date recently. Do you want me to introduce her to you?"
Yao Yonghui: “…”
He was about to speak when he saw the old lady put away the garbage bag and took out a new handful of melon seeds. "Want some?"
Yao Yonghui paused.
After a moment, he silently extended his hand and said, "Give me one, thank you."
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